Glass Lapping Wheel
Glass Lapping Wheel
| Glassblowers use a lapping wheel to grind flat surfaces on glass. This piece of equipment is useful when making a ground finish on a flat flange. |
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Lapping wheels use a rotating wheel covered with an abrasive slurry or diamond abrasive pad. The wheel pictured is covered with an abrasive slurry consisting of a mixture of carborundum and water. The V-trough shown just above the wheel holds the abrasive grit in this set-up. Abrasives are available in different grit sizes - the higher the number designation the finer the grit and finish on the glass. |
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Abrasive slurry consistency is determined by the amount of water allowed to mix with the grit. A valve shown just above the V-trough controls the water flow and, along with the angle of the trough, controls and delivers the mix to the rotating wheel below. As you may have guessed - this work can be quite messy. Protective aprons on you and the equipment to contain splash is advised! |
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The glass to be ground is held firmly by hand on the rotating wheel. Heavy downward pressure is not necessary nor advised, though constant contact with the rotating wheel is. The glass should be moved in a figure 8 pattern across the wheel surface, occasionally rotating the glass during the lapping process. This procedure will aid in getting a flat, even surface on the glass as well as ensuring you do not develop "wear' spots or zones on the lapping wheel. |
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Scientific Glassblowing Basics |
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